10:07 am

Thu November 7, 2013

As Washington lawmakers convene in an effort to win production of the next Boeing 777x, there’s already a dispute over whether one of the must-haves is a gas tax package for transportation improvements.

Gov. Jay Inslee insists the time is now, but some lawmakers say road funding can wait.

Business

12:12 pm

Wed October 30, 2013

In a blow to Boeing's traditional base in the Puget Sound region, the company says it will do "much of the detailed design" for its next 777 wide-body jet in other states and Russia.

Two top executives in Boeing's Commercial Airplanes division, Mike Delaney and Scott Fancher, told employees in a memo today that engineering teams in Charleston, South Carolina; Huntsville, Alabama; Long Beach, California; Philadelphia; and St. Louis. Engineers in Moscow will also help.

Business

10:00 am

Wed October 30, 2013

Amazon has launched a new website for its online store that will donate a fraction of shoppers' purchase amounts to charity.

Amazon.com Inc. launched the site, smile.amazon.com, on Wednesday. The world's largest online retailer says people will find the same items and the same prices that they would on its regular site or mobile app, with some exceptions.

It's Complicated

3:17 pm

Thu October 24, 2013

It’s a phrase typically used to discuss a messy relationship: "It's complicated."

Those are the words the president of Alaska and Horizon airlines used Thursday to describe the state of the alliance between the Seattle-based carriers and Delta Air Lines. You might also call these airlines "frenemies."

equity crowdfunding

6:08 pm

Wed October 23, 2013

Northwest entrepreneurs will soon have another way to raise money for small and new businesses. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday put out long-delayed draft rules for something called "equity crowdfunding."

So far, crowdfunding has been a vehicle mostly for artists, charities, and startups to solicit donors online. Supporters usually get a modest reward of some sort. Now, the SEC has detailed how crowdfunding could expand. Proposed new rules would allow startup companies to sell actual stock over the Internet to small-time investors.

Business

8:17 pm

Fri October 18, 2013

About 21,000 grocery workers at QFC, Fred Meyer, Safeway, and Albertsons in the Puget Sound region have given notice that they plan to go on strike in 72 hours.

That shows the two sides failed to reach agreement on a new contract, in spite of renewed negotiations this past week. Union officials have said the companies want to restrict health insurance to employees who work 30 hours a week or more, in addition to essentially freezing wages.

You can already buy gigantic packages of toilet paper and toothpaste at Costco stores everywhere from Misato City, Japan, to Lidcombe, Australia. Those are just two of Costco's 634 stores worldwide.

But now, Costco is planning a more aggressive expansion in the coming 12 months. The wholesale retailer says it aims to open as many as 36 more stores, 10 more than in the fiscal year that ended at the beginning of September. Half of those stores will be outside the U.S.